An Eternity
by Eddy Fawkes
Summary: Sally and Jack ponder the meaning of the word "forever". In an attempt to redeem themselves as the best tricksters in Halloween, Lock, Shock, and Barrel unearth an ancient evil. Finklestein might know something about it, but he is preoccupied with his dis
1. Prologue

**Summary:** Sally and Jack ponder the meaning of the word "forever." In an attempt to redeem themselves as the best tricksters in the town of Halloween, Lock, Shock, and Barrel unearth an ancient evil. Finklestein might know something about it, but he is preoccupied with his disobedient creation Lucretia. When Jack is dethroned and Sally loses heart, who will save Halloween Town from the horrific imbalance between life and death? Rated T for graphic elements of horror.

**Author's Note & Disclaimers:** Sorry, folks. I can't claim either Tim Burton or Danny Elfman's identity, and therefore I don't own The Nightmare before Christmas, Jack, Sally, or even Halloween Town. However, I do own this plot and the character of Lucretia (although she was built upon Finklestein's new creation at the end of the film). No stealing, or else I pull my stories and no more lovely Eddy fanfiction.

**Rating:** T **Why?:** Rather dark fic, with elements of horror and some grotesque descriptions, but no bloody gore for the sake of bloody gore.

* * *

**An Eternity  
Prologue**

* * *

_My dearest friend, if you don't mind  
I'd like to join you by your side  
Where we can gaze into the stars  
And sit together, now and forever  
For it is plain as anyone can see  
We're simply meant to be_

Sally smiled absentmindedly as she recalled Jack's kind words. She then remembered that her arm was about to fall off and resumed stitching it back into place. As expected, her needle came unthreaded, and she sighed. That was the fifth time that had happened. The needle fell to the floor with a clatter that attracted Jack's attention. He looked up from the paper to find his Sally, her arm twisted in a peculiar fashion as she tried to retrieve her needle.

Jack merely smiled and picked up the needle for her, rethreading it easily as he started to sew.

_Now and forever..._

"Jack, how long is forever?"

Jack frowned, not because he disapproved of Sally's question, but because he found himself searching very hard for the answer. "Forever is... longer than anyone cares to say. Why say 10,000 years when you can use a word like forever?"

"But isn't it more than 10,000 years?"

"Well, an eternity, more like."

As Jack desperately sought a reply, he discovered something that could perhaps buy him a little time. "Sally, dear, you've run out of string. Better fetch some more."

Sally rose and Jack resumed hiding his face behind his paper, ashamed that he could not immediately answer her question.

After futilely searching the hall closet (all she found were some decaying fingernails and a nest of bats), Sally knew where the string must be. Pity; it was a place she dreaded to go.

The basement.

She could not fully explain why the basement troubled her so. Perhaps it was because it was dark and foreboding, but then, what part of Halloween Town wasn't? Or maybe it was that basements were stereotyped as hiding loathsome objects like rotting dead bodies and disease-ridden rodents. But none of these things bothered Sally. After all, she was dead herself.

What, then, was it?

To take her mind off the rickety descending stairs, she began to ponder what Jack had told her. If "forever" and "an eternity" were the same thing, why were they separate words? And why was there only "an" eternity? Couldn't there be more than one?

As Sally hastily picked a lump of string from the shelf at the bottom of the stairs, she decided that there could not be more than one eternity, simply because the word "eternities" sounded absolutely ridiculous.

However, this still did not answer her question as to how long one was.

Apparently, Jack did not seem to know either. This brought about a new flood of questions. If he didn't know what it meant, was he even qualified to use the word? What if this "forever" that he spoke of fluctuated as some minutes do, some appearing to last shorter than others, and it would all be over in the blink of an eye? Would he forget her, then, just because their eternity had expired?

She paused at the top of the stairs to look over her shoulder. Nothing had followed her up from the basement, and there was nothing out of the ordinary down there.

At least, nothing that her eyes could see.

Content that she had escaped whatever it was she feared in the basement, and in addition had come away with what she needed, Sally turned her attention to the next problem: Jack. He was still where she had left him, appearing absorbed in and intrigued by whatever he was reading about in the newspaper. Sally felt no remorse at interrupting him; perhaps she could see that he was pretending.

"Jack, I mean for you to know that I intend to stay here for more than an eternity. I mean, I understand that it must be a very long time, seeing as there's only room for one in the whole continuum of things, but I do hope you won't forget me when it's over."

Jack looked up at her in disbelief. So _that's_ why she wanted to know. Wordlessly he stood and embraced her, not minding that her arm dangled helplessly on a mere thread. "Oh Sally, but forever's never over!"

Her eyes widened. "An eternity… doesn't have an end?"

"That's right."

"Does it have a beginning?"

Jack sighed. Her questions never ceased. But he supposed this why he loved her: she always kept him pondering. Even things that he formerly accepted as facts were to be doubted in a discussion with Sally. Her innocence brought into light the common sense that was so often overlooked.

Suddenly, her face brightened as she answered her own question. "Oh! I understand now! An eternity is… a circle."

Jack laughed, threaded the needle, and once again began mending Sally's undone seam. Her way of explaining things always made it seem so simple.

"Yes, something like that."


	2. Chapter One: For the Sake of Science

* * *

**An Eternity  
Chapter One: For the Sake of Science**

* * *

The unique red flower was absolutely perfect. No blemishes whatsoever from wind or rain, and not withered like others she had seen. It flourished in a secluded corner, its radiance looking too much out of place in the otherwise dismal atmosphere of Halloween Town.

Sally withdrew her hand. She could not pick something so peculiar, although it was tempting. No, she must show it to Jack! It would truly be a wonderful surprise. And to think, she had grown this beautiful object in her very own garden!

"Why good afternoon, Sally."

Sally turned around to face none other than Dr. Finklestein. Although she did not harbor the kindest feeling toward her creator, she curtsied politely and mumbled a "How do you do, Doctor."

The hindered scientist craned his neck over the fence. "My, but isn't that an interesting specimen. Wherever did it come from?"

Pleased that they at least shared an interest, Sally answered, "Oh, it was just growing right here; I don't really think it _came_ from anyplace."

"Silly child, it had to come from somewhere. A seed carried by the wind from a distant land, perhaps; or else it was planted by someone with a purpose. But life does not just blossom up on its own without anything to prompt it."

Sally blinked. "Maybe something nice just wants to grow to be pleasant. Why should it need something else to create it?"

The doctor huddled back into his chair. "Humph. Well, at any rate, it should be analyzed to find out exactly what it is and how it got here."

Sally picked up her watering can and sprinkled the velvet petals. "Well, _I'm_ not going to. I'm just glad for the sight of it."

"Not going to analyze it?!" spluttered Dr. Finklestein. But then his eyes grew crafty and the edge of his mouth curled upward in a greedy grin. "Perhaps you could give it to someone else then… for caretaking…"

"No, I think I shall keep it. After all, it _is_ growing in _my_ garden. Good day, Doctor." And with that final decision, Sally turned and left the less-than-satisfied inventor.

At her departure, Finklestein angrily brought his fist down upon the arm of his chair. This hasty action sent him shooting forward so he collided with the iron fence. He cursed his bad luck and all other things that he was unhappy with at the moment, and prepared for his exit.

Just then, he noticed his proximity to the strange red flower. It was just on the other side of the fence, its rare beauty seeming to beckon… but the doctor held back because of the hostile thorns upon its stem.

Oh, how he wanted it though! He could not fully explain why. Perhaps it was that its color was so unique, or maybe it was the thorns making it seem forbidden that made it all the more desirable.

Why did it always have to be Sally that stood in the way of what he wanted most? With a heavy sigh, the scientist trundled back to his beloved laboratory, where he could at least dream of how he wished things to be.

* * *

Lucretia, as she was called, did not have many hobbies. With Finklestein as her creator and master, she was not permitted to. She was descended from a long line of creations, her predecessor being the irrepressible Sally, who was often cursed and ridiculed by Finklestein as being the least profitable of his inventions. He often praised Lucretia for being one of his best, for she followed his directions to the very letter and was not intelligent enough to be rebellious. (She particularly feared the Deadly Nightshade plant, a feature with which the doctor had programmed her to avoid formerly experienced troubles.)

As previously stated, she did not have many hobbies. One of these few was the study of life, for so little of it was found in Halloween Town and she thought its existence to be fascinating. There was some uncommon brilliance to it that everything else lacked.

But, as with any hobby, it must be preceded by duty first. So naturally, when Finklestein returned in a foul mood, Lucretia sought to calm him by any means possible.

"LUCRETIA!!" Finklestein howled as he entered. Upon finding her only a few feet away, he huffily adjusted his volume as if he had known her precise location all along. "Oh, there you are, my dear. Well don't just stand there, fetch something for my aching head!"

She obeyed without hesitation, and the doctor thanked his powers of creation that she was as mild-mannered. Luckily, she showed no interest iin the outside world as Sally had, and so far had displayed no trace of those damging things called emotions. All was good.

Of course, he had noticed her affinity for the living, but dismissed this as a harmless hobby much like his own for inventiong. There was no harm in her being like himself; after all, he had made her that way.

Lucretia returned with a compress of soothing herbs and a homemade pain-relieving potion. This she bid the doctor drink as she held the compress to his skull. Sally's induced bouts of Deadly Nightshade were apparently reoccurring.

Trying as best she could to comfort her finicky creator, Lucretia inquired as to his recent outing. She knew that he loved to share information about his important meetings and astounding discoveries. "So, Doctor, did you see anything worth seeing?"

Finklestein growles. "No, only that disagreeable Sally. Why that girl cannot show simple etiquette is beyond me," he grumbled as he bad-temperedly slammed his mug of elixir down on a nearby table.

It was not uncommon to hear the scientist rant about his former creation. This was the only way Lucretia learned of Sally; of her rudeness, lack of feeling toward others, outright disobedience, and most of all, ugliness. She often found that the best way to restore the doctor to his good humor was to fuel the fire until he was most satisfied with Sally's incompetence. "What did she do this time, Doctor?"

Finklestein spluttered on his greedy gulps of healing draught. "_Do?!_ She didn't _do_ anything, my dear, she just is. Always in the way, that one; standing between me and my precious-" At that point, the doctor remembered who he was talking to, and just how she could be used to his advantage. The anger on his face melted into the sly expression commonly seen when he was concocting some deceitful scheme.

"Standing in the way of what?" Lucretia inquired innocently.

Quickly the doctor hid any sign of a clever plot as he sipped the potion. "Oh, noting really, dear. On my way home I just happened to come across this flower-- pathetic-looking thing, actually--"

He was momentarily interrupted by Lucretia, whose newfound interest in the matter could not be contained. "A _flower_?! Oh, tell me, Doctor-- was it alive?"

Finklestein fiddled nervously with the mug in his hands, something he did subconsciously whenever he lied. "Well, I suppose so, but one can never be sure until a thorough analysis has been performed. And I was just about to, when that _Sally_ came and snatched it from under my very nose."

Lucretia was shocked. "She _took_ it? But you saw it first!"

The doctor his his face with a hand, disguising his shame as a cough. It was lucky that Lucretia was unfamiliar with lies. "That I did, my dear."

"Why don't you take it back? She must know that it is rightfully yours."

Faking a yawn, Finklestein replied, "No, I'm simply exhausted after this ordeal… Although to see the flower again _would_ be worth it…"All at once, Lucretia was hit by an idea that Finkestein had been probing at all along. "Doctor! _I'll_ go!"

Her creator sighed with visible relief. "No, child, I could not possibly ask--" Suddenly he drew her close. "But if you insist. The flower is in her garden, and you would do best to remove it quickly and quietly, so that she does not see you."

* * *

"Jack!" Sally called out as she rushed through the rooms of their mansion. He counterpart was nowhere to be found. "Where _is_ he?" she asked herself impatiently, then grew silent as she approached the basement steps. Perhaps he was down there. Cautiously she opened the creaking door and peered down into the darkness.

The sudden touch of a hand upon her shoulder caused her to jump. She whirled around to find… "Jack! I've been looking all over for you! Where _were_ you?" Not waiting for a response, Sally continued. "Never mind. Come with me; I have to show you something!"

She led him outside and to the garden corner. "Wait until you see this, Jack. It's truly amazing!"

Jack blinked. "Well yes, that _is_ an astounding growth of wormwort-"

Sally laughed. "No, silly, the…flower…" As she turned around, Sally saw that indeed there was no flower, only her patch of wormwort.

Jack tilted his head slightly, as though the hidden object might show itself when viewed through a different angle. "What flower?"

"It was there only a minute ago!" Sally stated, quite bewildered. "A flower, a beautiful red one, with prickles all down its stem…"

Jack chuckled. "I doubt that it was real. I've never seen anything before that matches that description!"

Sally turned her wide, puzzled eyes towards his face. "Nor had I! But it _was_ here, and I wanted so very much to show it to you…"

Seeing her downcast expression, Jack felt an immediate obligation to cheer her up. "Well, I had something to show you too!" He took her hand and led her inside. Sally sat down in the armchair, curiously awaiting Jack's invention as he drew it from behind his back.

It was a small box decorated with pictures of snowflakes that Jack loved so much ever since it had snowed that one night in Halloween Town. She could tell that Jack had made it himself, for the hinges were not completely straight and the angles varied from the normal measurement of ninety degrees. Jack never was the best with calculations.

Sally's acute attention to the autside of the box was making Jack impatient. "Open it!" he said, and she did.

A pleasant little tune met her ears; a melody that was charming and at the same time melancholy. Sally stared at the music box, not knowing if she should laugh or cry.

Suddenly Jack felt very out of place. He didn't know if he had made his Sally happy or if he had brought back a memory she wished to forget. To remove himself from the awkward position, he said quickly, "Well, I have been meaning to speak with the Mayor. Or he has been meaning to speak with me, rather. Halloween preparations, you know. I'll see you later, then?"

Sally assured his fears with a contented smile.

"Er… good. Goodbye, Sally."

* * *

It was staring to rain outside. Sally sat by the window as she waited for Jack to return home. As she listened to her music box, she became lost in the sweet tune. Without him she felt quite alone… There was nothing to do but think.

She found her mind wandering back to the peculiar flower. She was certain that it had not been an illusion; Doctor Finklestein had seen it as well. She tried to recall its every detail; the crimson petals, edged leaves, and thorned stem… No physical feature that she could remember made it seem as though the plant should be able to get up and walk away.

Sitting back, Sally examined the facts. The flower was real, and she had seen it when tending to her garden. It had not been there when she had attemted to show Jack. Whatever had happened had happened in between, and since it was not capable of fanishing on its own, this lead her to one conclusion: someone had taken it.

But who? The first that came to mind was Finklestein, for it was plain that he had envied her possession of such a rare specimen. But it could not be, because he had been gone when Sally began her second rounds, and her flower was still there.

Whoever it was, it must have been someone who knew something about gardening, thought Sally. To remove the entire plant, roots to tip, and leave not a trace…

* * *

Lucretia sheltered her newfound treasure from the gusts of rain. She had uprooted the entire plant and filled in the conspicuous hole. Now she was absolutely filthy, since she had not thought to bring her own gardening tools. The rain only succeeded in making her more miserable; a hideous mud-monster slowly wallowing her way home.

But when she looked at the prize in her hands, she realized it was worth the effort. The way the raindrops on the crimson petals caught and reflected the light of the sinking sun was simply gorgeous.

_Too fine a specimen for the Doctor to pick apart and analyze,_ she thought.

What? Where had that come from? She had always been loyal to Finklestein and supportive of his experiments. He was her creator, after all, and not meant to be disobeyed.

Yet when she let her eyes wander down to the beautiful flower, she found herself wondering if she really owed him anything at all. She waited on him night and day, put up with his complaining, and ran all his errands. She had gotten this flower by herself; why not keep it?

Distraught, Lucretia sunk to the ground. She did not approve of this new feeling inside her head. It was as if she had always harbored a doubt, and now, something with hostile thorns had probed it awake.

Her wrestling thoughts ceased for a moment at the sound of a mischievous tune being whistled. It was coming toward her, up from the nearest hill. Not knowing what to expect, and whether it would be friendly or foe-like, Lucretia hid herself in the shadow of a huge, dead oak.

"Barrel! Stop that whistling, stupid! Do you want to get us caught?"

The girl that had spoken was obviously in costume as a witch, but she was masked and carried a spade. The round-faced boy who was the object of her reprimand impudently stuck his tongue out and retorted, "_I_ wasn't going to get us caught. You're the one screaming up a storm!"

Fists on hips, she replied, "Well, at least it shows that I've got sense, unlike you!"

The round-faced boy giggled. "And where'd you leave that, smarty-pants? At home?"

"Ooo, you impudent little swine!"

"Prickly urchin!"

"Candy glutton!"

At this Lucretia laughed aloud, for the round-faced boy was hoarding a rather large collection of sweets. She swiftly stopped herself, though. What if these were friends of Sally's? She did not desire to be caught with the incriminating evidence in her hands.

The two tricksters ceased their insults. It was plain that they had heard her. "What was that?" whispered the witch girl.

"Nothing that could put a stop to our plans," said a third figure. He was carrying most of the excavating paraphernalia, and looked impatient. "But if you two don't get moving…"

"We're going! We're going!" The two hitched up their spades and took off down the hill, followed by the third, who was slightly hampered by the equipment.

Once they had gone, Lucretia removed herself from hiding. She counted herself lucky that she was not in charge of those two as the third boy seemed to be. Their constant bickering would be too much to put up with! She recalled their insults to each other, and decided that they were _both_ ugly.

Lucretia caught her breath. What _were_ these new thoughts inside her head? Never before had she been so judgmental, so selfish!

And yet, she was certain… Just as she believed that Lock, Shock, and Barrel were not the most pleasant creatures she had ever seen… She knew Finklestein would not have the flower.

* * *

It was raining heavily now, and still there was no sign of Jack. Clutching the music box protectively in her arms, Sally began the ascent to her sanctuary: the topmost tower in Skellington Mansion.

She loved it because it rose so very high above the other structures in Halloween Town. Because from its whimsicality, she could view the entirety of what was going on down below.

Because it was so distant from the basement.

Tentatively, as though it would break, Sally set the precious music box upon the floor and opened the lid. The pleasant music that issued forth served as a remedy to her loneliness. Without Jack, she was quite incomplete, but the promise of his return held her contented.

And yet, she could never find the words to tell him this. "I love you" seemed such a small expression to encompass all that she wanted to say.

Feeling somewhat insignificant, Sally rose to her feet. The music rose with her, wrapping her in its velvet softness. For emphasis, she swiveled around on her heels. Faster and faster, until the room was a blur. Was this what it meant to dance?

Lost in her fantasy, Sally had forgotten that the top tower room was not completely hers. "If only I could dance," came a forlorn voice from the corner. "If only I could twirl about freely…"

Sally stopped spinning so abruptly that she nearly fell down. "I'm so sorry, Artella! I didn't mean to disturb you!" She drew back the thick black curtains from the windows to let in the faint rays of light. The pumpkin sun never shone very brightly, but it was enough to abolish the shadows that hid her friend Artella.

Artella was nothing more than a head, although she claimed to have been complete once. However, if this was true, the whereabouts of her body were unknown. Sally did not find it particularly odd that she resided in this tower; just like everything else that had not been created, she had always been there.

"Always" being as long as Sally had been in existence, anyway.

Regardless, she meant no real harm, and she sometimes provided Sally with intriguing information. Sally did not always completely believe her, but since Artella claimed to know the future…

"You didn't disturb me," came a bleak reply. "What have I to be disturbed from? Staring at floorboards day after day? Contemplating just why it is that death is so dull, and whether I even have a fate to fulfill?"

Artella's pessimism never failed to surprise Sally. She could take a most extraordinary topic, such as death, and twist it into something so miserable that Sally would often forget that she was experiencing the same thing. With a slight laugh, Sally sat down next to her friend. "Oh Artella, death is anything but dull!" she protested. But then, reconsidering her friend's predicament, she admitted, "Of course, if you're cooped up in an attic all day…"

"Yes, it's quite a horrible way to spend an eternity," lamented Artella.

_Eternity_… There was that word again. Why was it that everyone else seemed to have a complete grasp on its meaning besides Sally herself?

Sally had grown silent and contemplative, but she was roused from her reverie by the absence of Artella's usual grievances. She looked up to find her friend staring beseechingly at her, apparently expecting pity.

"A horrible way to spend eternity…" Sally repeated. Artella started at her as though she were a few carvings short of a jack-o-lantern. Suddenly she brightened, her stitching pulling upward in an inspired smile. "That's just it! You need to get out of this attic. You can come live downstairs with Jack and me, and we will see to it that you won't ever think of death as dull again!"

"Out of the attic?" Artella seemed skeptical. "Well, I certainly appreciate the thought, dear, but…" All of a sudden, she appeared more agitated. "…I'd much prefer to stay. Away from…"

Sally waited patiently. Could it be that Artella shared her fear of the basement? "Away from what, Artella?"

Artella smiled, trying to seem reassuring, but she appeared more uncertain. "Nothing, dear." Then, rapidly changing the subject, "You looked so pretty, Sally, as you were dancing just then. The way your eyes captured the darkness, and everything about you exemplified the night."

Taken off guard, Sally blushed. "Why thank you, Artella, I-"

"Such happiness," lamented the forlorn creature. "Tell me, my dear, what is it that makes you so happy? I long to know your secret." Artella awaited Sally's reply eagerly, licking her lips as though Sally's happiness would be edible.

She pondered Artella's query for a minute until she found a satisfactory answer. "I think it must be… Jack."

Artella rolled her one good eye in amusement. "Ah, Jack. Funny how, when you seek to make yourself happy, the key really lies in someone else."

"Yes; isn't it…" Sally replied uneasily. The way Artella's eye had fixed on her and was now narrowing suspiciously was particularly unnerving.

Artella must have sensed Sally's discomfort, for she released her from her gaze and smiled reassuringly. "Tell me, my dear, what does he do that makes you happy? Does he give you gifts?"

Sally thought briefly of the music box, and how it was the only present she had ever received from Jack. Then she came to the conclusion that her happiness laid in the presence of Jack's company, not in the hope of lavish gifts. "No," she told Artella. "Why would that make me happy?"

Artella did not bother to answer. "He must have promised you something, something exquisite that you can only dream of?"

Outside forever, which she did not even understand, Jack had promised her nothing. Why should he? "Of course not," said Sally.

"Is it that he keeps you safe?"

"From what?"

"Tell me, Sally dear, does he ever elaborate on how he loves you?"

Sally was silent. She was confronted by a former Jack that said to her, "…He has been meaning to speak with me, rather. Halloween preparations, you know. I'll see you later then?" No smile. No kiss on the cheek. No words of love. Just simply, "Goodbye, Sally."

The feeling of uneasiness had returned. Her confidence in Jack had been slightly shaken, but still she replied, "N-no. Why should he? Love needs no elaboration."

Artella chuckled: a dry, mocking laugh. "No, of course it doesn't. It's only the most precious of possessions, worthy of spending ten thousand lifetimes to purchase. Of course, if you have it, it deserves no acknowledgment."

Sally sat silently, taken aback by Artella's harsh words and confused at her purpose. Did she take pleasure in upsetting Sally?

Artella had gone silent again, retreating into her hazy realm of speculation. Her eye looked past Sally, seemingly into the uncertain future. She appeared as though the last few minutes had not happened.

Sally swallowed nervously. "Artella… what did you mean about… about love?"

Artella snapped her gaze back to Sally's face. It was warm and accepting, and she smiled slightly as though their conversation had started anew. "Oh, nothing really, dear. It's only my reminiscing: what I might have made of my death."

Hands folded in her lap, Sally replied, "There is still time to make more of death."

Artella seemed not to have heard. "You, on the other hand, are the victim of a most spectacular death. You have more than I hope for, and yet more is less, or rather, could so easily become less than less."

Under normal circumstances, Sally would have disregarded Artella's last statement, for she often spoke in riddles, but this topic and Artella's unsaid words particularly distressed her. "I don't understand."

"Oh, it was nothing." The pleasant expression returned: the mask that so blatantly beckoned, "I have so much more to tell."

So Sally persisted. "I'd like to know."

Artella acted wholly unwilling, as though Sally had prized her unabatedly for information, but it flowed smoothly enough from her lips. "It seems to me as though Jack's love for you is not true enough; why does he not dance about as you do?"

Sally stood abruptly and backed away from the disheveled head. "He does too love me! How should you know what Jack feels?"

"Of course he does, dear," said Artella, her eye beginning to wander, "…now. But can I help the future?"

At this, Sally turned and stumbled down the stairs so blindly that she failed to notice Jack dancing in the rain.


	3. Chapter Two: Mischief Afoot

* * *

**An Eternity  
Chapter 2: Mischief Afoot**

* * *

Finklestein was asleep. The promise Lucretia had made of his desired flower had left him wholly contented, and the next necessity had taken over. Fatigue was a weakness of the wheelchair-bound doctor; his out-of-practice joints did not allow him much recreation otherwise.

Lucretia was grateful for his fondness of sleep, for it allowed her to slip in undetected. Several times her creator snorted or rolled about in his slumber, and in her paranoia she saw each as a blatant accusation. After reassuring herself that he would not awaken, she would start toward the stairs once more.

As she ascended, Lucretia plotted her excuse. Se had gone precisely to the place where Finklestein had instructed her, but had found no flower. Perhaps the selfish Sally had removed it first and hidden it, coveting it only for herself. Perhaps one of the lowlier members of Halloween Town had mistaken it for something edible and devoured it, leaving not a petal. No, that was not convincing. Perhaps… perhaps…

Perhaps it had never been. Yes, that was it! She had searched and searched, but there had been no red flower. Finally she had come to the conclusion that Halloween Town simply could not accommodate this fabled form of life.

Lucretia reached the door to her room. She took one last cautionary glance in Finklestein's direction and found him to be sleeping peacefully. Still, she took no chances. After inching the door open, she tiptoed in and shut it softly behind her.

Now, where to hide it? She must be sure to choose a place where Finklestein would never think to look. The windowsill was out of the question, for although the flower probably needed light, it could not be seen. It must be hidden away.

_Then what is the point,_ whispered a voice in her head. _What is the point of having it if it must forever be out of sight?_

The velvet petals quivered in her hand. In her hastiness to remove it, the flower had become carelessly covered in dirt. The ruby luminance had become dulled under a fine layer of grime, and the petals drooped, crying for a drop of water.

Lucretia set about exploring the cupboards. They mostly held the belongings of her predecessor, but amongst them there had to be a bottle or vase. From the back of the cabinet on the left side of the bed, she withdrew a flask with some kind of herb inside. She emptied the contents into the waste-bin, and then flung the window open to capture a few precious drops of rain into the flask.

That would do marvelously. She deposited the flower into the flask and wiped the unsightly dirt from its petals. Its beauty was too uncommon to be masked under neglect.

Truly, it was beautiful. Though she did not know the flower by its name, a single glimpse inspired such comfort.

As she hid it away in the bedside cabinet behind a dusty sewing machine, the comfort stayed with her. Although she might see it only on occasion, it was worth it to know it was hers.

* * *

_"…Can I help the future?..."_

Sally sat at the foot of the stairs, hugging her knees. Artella had frightened her. What if the future did indeed hold undesirable events? How could she even prepare to cope with them? The future was an uncertain territory that she did not like to contemplate. Worse, she had no control over it.

What if Jack should cease to love her? How would she feel?

She drew her knees closer to her chin. She did not desire to dwell upon it. Before she knew of Jack, there was only Finklestein and chores. It was quite possible that she felt nothing, except a desire to break free. Then she met Jack, and that brought with it a whole flood of new emotions. And now, if he were to leave somehow, she was not sure it would be that easy to go back to feeling nothing. He would most certainly leave behind other feelings, and none of them nearly as pleasant.

The constant patter of the rain began to bring her out of her dismal thoughts and slowly she became aware of her surroundings. She was reclining at the bottom while the stairs spiraled away above her. The door to the basement was slightly ajar, and nearer than she had thought. Funny, she had no memory of coming to rest so close to it. It was if she had appeared, or the door had appeared, and since they were both here together, something required her to go investigate it.

She rose from her position somewhat awkwardly and took a few hesitant steps closer. It was not so very horrible, she told herself. She would go down and have a look around to prove that there was nothing that made her basement any more frightening than anyone else's.

Sally placed a firm hand on the railing and began her descent. It was darker than she last remembered… It would be awfully hard to search for the object of her uneasiness in this perfect obscurity. No matter, she was tired of fearing the unknown. But was it the basement she feared, or something unrelated?

Down, down, down. She was already so far removed from the safeness above, and still the stairs progressed downward. It was astoundingly silent… She could no longer even hear the rain. Curse her curiosity! What if she should never come out? What if she should never see the sights of Halloween Town again, and never hear the joyous noise of its celebrations? What if she was doomed to spend her death in darkness… forever?

She cast a longing glance behind her. The spiral staircase twisted away above her, blocking out the light and making it impossible to determine where in fact she had come from. If she turned back now, she would be spared the horrible silence and darkness that surrounded her.

But she would be no better off. Though she would try to put the basement out of her mind, the uncertainty of it would still torment her. She must put a stop to this before it got out of hand. And so, she continued down.

From the silence there rose an unexpected sound. It was faint at first, but grew in volume as she descended- a steady scraping that could not be dismissed any longer as a product of the darkness and her imagination. She was not alone down there. Even more cautious than before, Sally felt her way down the remaining stairs. How much farther could the bottom be?

She blinked, thinking her eyes deceived her. There appeared to be a very dim light flickering in the distance, one that moved of its own accord. She paused for fear that since she saw it, it must see her. But, it continued its swinging, uninterrupted, to the rhythm of the scraping noise.

The scraping was so loud and obvious now that Sally wondered how she could have ever missed it. Her fears were justified; there _was_ something that lurked down here that even Jack did not know about. She could now distinguish the light as a lantern, and it was held by something… someone…

_There's someone here!_ the little voice inside her head cried excitedly. She was justified! Her fear of the basement… not abnormal. The worst discovery of all would be to follow her fears down to the darkness and find nothing. But, her premonitions were correct! _…Someone IS here!_

_Someone's here!..._

"Someone's here!" came a voice at once, and Sally found herself pinned against a wall, fighting the glaring glow of the lantern. A long, thin face came into the light beside her. It was familiar, but this did not lessen Sally's surprise.

"Lock?"

At the sound of their cohort's name, the other two could not resist chiming in, "…Shock, and Barrel!"

Lock's eyes widened as he realized whom he had captured, and he released his hold. "…Miss Sally! We certainly didn't expect _you_."

Sally took the former remark as an apology and smoothed her soiled skirt. The wall she had been pressed against was only made of dirt. Now that she looked about, the basement seemed crude and uninteresting. What, possibly, could the three tricksters be doing here?

Lock held the lantern, which had been the swinging light. It illuminated Shock and Barrel, who were unsuccessfully trying to hide their spades. The beginning of a pit gaped in the middle of the floor, its contents hidden in shadow.

Without asking, Sally took the lantern from Lock and inched toward the hole. If they were hiding something, she wanted to see for herself.

…The light revealed nothing but dirt. This did nothing to calm her feeling of uneasiness. "What are you doing in my basement?" she demanded of the trio.

It was Shock who answered. The little witch-child practically beamed; she did not attempt to hide her excitement. "Oh Miss Sally, you won't believe it! We heard the most entrancing voices…"

Barrel gave Shock a swift kick. "Shh, don't tell her!"

Shock returned the favor. "Don't _you_ kick _me_!"

Sally assisted Lock in pulling the two apart. "Now," she addressed Shock, "if you'd continue, please."

Before obliging, Shock stuck her tongue out defiantly at Barrel, who was securely detained by Lock. "Well," she went on, "You simply can't understand… unless you hear them yourself!" And without further explanation, she jumped into the shallow ditch, then turned around and beckoned to Sally excitedly.

Sally was hesitant. Discovering the three in the basement was suspicious enough, but _voices_? It could not be. They were planning some sort of trick. She looked back at Lock and Barrel. They weren't grinning in any mischievous way, only waiting to see what she would do.

Her curiosity got the better of her, and she followed Shock down. Sally mimicked her, getting down on her knees and placing an ear to the dirt. "Now!" Shock instructed, "Listen!"

Sally did not dare to move. If the voices were faint, she did not want to miss them. She pressed her ear harder into the ground and strained to hear… If only Shock would stop breathing so loudly. Sally was just about to reprimand her when she realized it was herself. Her excitement had gotten the better of her. After one last gulp of air, she held her breath, plunging herself into silence. She heard…

Nothing.

Shock grinned. "Isn't it _wonderful_?"

Sally stared at her incredulously. She looked to Lock and Barrel for support, but they only nodded in concurrence with Shock. There was only one possible explanation: they were all crazy. She stood and addressed them all assertively. "I don't like the looks of things down here. You three are up to no good."

They did not show the slightest hint of shame, even though they knew well that they were defacing property that was not their own. Surprised at their boldness and not wanting to appear helpless, Sally added, "I'll just have to see what Jack says about this." Then she turned on her heel and marched decidedly up the stairs, hoping her air of authority would frighten the trio into abandoning whatever it was they were doing. In reality, she was eager to return to the light and safety of her home. Though she could not hear the voices, she was shaken. There was something wrong down there.

Lock, Shock, and Barrel waited until Sally was a safe distance away. Then, they picked up their shovels. "You heard," Shock commanded. "Keep digging."


End file.
